Kentucky Department of Corrections et al. v. Thompson et al.
Decided May 15, 1989. Harry Andrew Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 87-1815 · 490 U.S. 454 (1989) · Cited 2,461 times
Holding
The Kentucky regulations do not give state inmates a liberty interest in receiving visitors that is entitled to the protections of the Due Process Clause.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 6–3.
Majority · 5
- Harry Andrew Blackmun · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Antonin Scalia
- Byron Raymond White
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Concurring · 1
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 3
- John Paul Stevens
- Thurgood Marshall · filed a dissenting opinion
- William Joseph Brennan Jr.
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Hewitt v. Helms · 459 U.S. 460 (1983)
- Greenholtz v. Inmates of the Nebraska Penal & Correctional Complex · 442 U.S. 1 (1979)
- Olim v. Wakinekona · 461 U.S. 238 (1983)
- Vitek v. Jones · 445 U.S. 480 (1980)
- Wolff v. McDonnell · 418 U.S. 539 (1974)
- Meachum v. Fano · 427 U.S. 215 (1976)
- Board of Pardons v. Allen · 482 U.S. 369 (1987)
- Montanye v. Haymes · 427 U.S. 236 (1976)
- Connecticut Board of Pardons v. Dumschat · 452 U.S. 458 (1981)
- Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth · 408 U.S. 564 (1972)
- Morrissey v. Brewer · 408 U.S. 471 (1972)
- Perry v. Sindermann · 408 U.S. 593 (1972)
- Pell v. Procunier · 417 U.S. 817 (1974)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Sandin v. Conner · 515 U.S. 472 (1995)
- Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales · 545 U.S. 748 (2005)
- Reno v. Bossier Parish School Board · 520 U.S. 471 (1997)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Harry Andrew Blackmun’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1989). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).